Sixteen years after leading the Bruins from last place into the playoffs — just one of his numerous accomplishments behind an NHL bench — Pat Burns has been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Burns, who died in 2010 at age 58 after a battle with cancer, was selected as a builder to the Hall.

Others who were elected to the Hall include players Rob Blake, Dominik Hasek, Peters Forsberg and Mike Modano, and referee Bill McCreary.

"It's a great day for me and my family," Burns’ widow, Line, said in a statement. ”I’m speechless and tremendously happy. Pat would be proud and this is well-deserved."

Burns was a three-time Jack Adams Award winner as the NHL's coach of the year, the final one for the 1997-98 season, his first with the Bruins. The Bruins were the worst team in the NHL in 1996-97, hired Burns and added 30 points to their total to jump back into the postseason.

He lasted 3 1/2 seasons with Boston, getting fired just eight games into the 2000-01 season after missing the postseason the year prior.

Burns' Boston tenure is often remembered for his work in the development of Joe Thornton, the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft. Thornton had just seven points in 55 games as Burns held the 18-year-old accountable, but it laid the groundwork for what's become a terrific career.

“Being an 18-year-old player, it’s tough when you don’t always play because you’re used to playing all the time,” Thornton told the San Jose Mercury News in 2010. “Back then you might not have understood why that was happening, but in the big picture, he was a smart hockey man. He’d dealt with a lot of good, young hockey players before. And you look back now and there was definitely a method to his madness."

Burns also coached the Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Devils, leading New Jersey to the Stanley Cup in 2003. He also took Montreal to the Cup Final in 1989.

Overall, Burns went 501-353-165 in 1,019 regular-season games.

The Hall of Fame had the chance to elect Burns in 2010, when his health was clearly failing after battling colon cancer that had spread to his lungs, but failed to do so. Some felt that Fred Shero, who led the Flyers to Cups in 1974 and 1975, deserved to go in first; Shero was elected last year.

Among those missing the call to inductions was first-year nominee Mark Recchi. Recchi scored 577 goals and 1,533 points, good for 19th and 12th, respectively, on the all-time lists. He also won the Stanley Cup three times, including skating off into the sunset with the champion Bruins in 2011.

However, those credentials weren't enough for Recchi, who's considered a lock to join the Hall eventually.